D K Shivakumar at KEONICS’ 50th foundation day programme in Bengaluru. Photo supplied with the release.
Bengaluru: D K Shivakumar said he had directed that curricula be made industry-based to strengthen students’ skills, citing 30,000 vacant engineering seats in Karnataka and low salaries for engineering graduates.
Speaking at KEONICS’ 50th foundation day programme at a private hotel in Bengaluru on Tuesday, he said the government was considering how to address the situation and urged young people to become job creators.
“I have instructed that the curriculum be made industry-based, with priority given to improving students’ skills,” Shivakumar said. In some countries, he said, employers looked for the skills required for a job rather than asking about academic degrees.
His remarks placed employability and the relevance of engineering education alongside KEONICS’ plans to take artificial intelligence-based KEO computers to rural children. The release carrying his speech did not specify the academic year or admission round to which the 30,000 vacant seats referred, or give a timetable for curriculum changes.
Rural schools and small businesses in focus
Shivakumar welcomed KEONICS’ initiative to make technology available to children in villages through KEO computers, saying it was an effort to prepare the next generation for the AI era. He recalled having unveiled the computer recently.
He also praised the organisation’s efforts to take the technology to rural schools and small entrepreneurs, linking wider access to the state’s preparation for future opportunities.
Calling for young people to become employers rather than only employees, he said the government would support KEONICS if it needed additional space in future.
IT push beyond Bengaluru
Shivakumar said the government had decided to encourage information technology in Hubballi, Shivamogga, Kalaburagi and Mangaluru under the Beyond Bengaluru initiative, with the aim of supporting business growth in other districts.
He pointed to the use of technology across sectors, including property records and khata services in Bengaluru, as examples of its expanding role in public administration.
On city property services, he said the government intended to provide digital property records for 40 lakh properties and deliver documents door to door. Distribution would begin after completion of the SIR exercise, he said. The release did not provide a calendar date for the rollout.
KEONICS marks 50 years
Reflecting on KEONICS’ five decades, Shivakumar credited the government of Devaraj Urs with laying an early foundation for Karnataka’s technology sector. He described the organisation’s contribution as extending beyond Bengaluru into manufacturing and employment.
He welcomed the installation of a statue of KEONICS’ first managing director, Baliga, and referred to the role of Electronics City’s companies and workforce in the city’s growth.
Shivakumar said Bengaluru had grown from a population of 20 lakh when KEONICS began to 1.40 crore, and put the city’s IT workforce at 26 lakh. These figures were cited by him in the speech.
He called for the government, industry and institutions to work together to prepare Karnataka for technological change.
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Atul Chaturvedi 
